Cal State Fullerton vs. Wright State
Thursday, Nov. 27, 2014 | 3:00 PM PT
Hodge Center • Spartanburg, S.C.
ESPN3: www.FullertonTitans.com
Live Stats: www.FullertonTitans.com
Cal State Fullerton vs. USC Upstate
Friday, Nov. 28, 2014 | 3:00 PM PT
Hodge Center • Spartanburg, S.C.
ESPN3: www.FullertonTitans.com
Live Stats: www.FullertonTitans.com
Cal State Fullerton vs. Florida International
Saturday, Nov. 29, 2014 | 12:30 PM PT
Hodge Center • Spartanburg, S.C.
ESPN3: www.FullertonTitans.com
Live Stats: www.FullertonTitans.com
THIS WEEK
Cal State Fullerton remains on the road this week at the Spartanburg Marriott Upstate Classic playing Wright State (Thursday), USC Upstate (Friday) and Florida International (Saturday).
TICKETS & PROMOTIONS
Cal State Fullerton will return to Titan Gym on Saturday, Dec. 6 with tip-off scheduled for 6 p.m. against Pepperdine. Cal State Fullerton students receive free admission to Titan home games with their Titan I.D. card.Additional ticket information can be found by clicking HERE.
QUICK NOTES
• Cal State Fullerton has not opened the year with a 1-3 record since the 2010-11 season.
• Joe Boyd has led or shared the lead in rebounds for the Titans in all four games this season.
• The Titans have eight newcomers this year. Of the 16 players on Cal State Fullerton's roster, 11 had not played in a game for the Titans prior to the 2014-15 season.
• Cal State Fullerton has pulled down 38 offensive rebounds, scoring 47 second-chance points compared to opponents at 34.
OPPONENTS & HISTORY
Wright State | 3 p.m. PT | Thursday, Nov. 27 | Hodge Center
Cal State Fullerton will open the Spartanburg Marriott Upstate Classic on Thursday playing Wright State (3-1) at 3 p.m. The Raiders, led by Chrishawn Hopkins' 18.3 points per game, have recorded wins over Belmont, Ohio Dominican and at Charleston Southern.
Head-To-Head: Wright State holds a 2-0 advantage in the series against Cal State Fullerton. In addition, the Titans are currently 1-4 against current teams in the Horizon League.
Last Meeting: Scottie Wilson and Jordan Pleiman scored 19 points each and Todd Brown added 16 to lead Wright State to an 84-80 non-conference men's basketball victory at Cal State Fullerton on Dec. 22, 2007.
USC Upstate| 3 p.m. PT | Friday, Nov. 28 | Hodge Center
USC Upstate enters Thursday's tournament opener with a record of 3-1. The Spartans have three players averaging double figures led by Ty Greene (17.0 ppg), Tristan Thomas (12.0 ppg) and Fred Miller (11.5ppg). USC Upstate suffered its first loss on Sunday, a 76-69 defeat to UCF after opening the season on a three-game winning streak.
Head-To-Head: First Meeting. The Titans have played just one team currently in the Atlantic Sun, defeating Stetson during the 1961-62 season.
Florida International | 12:30 p.m. PT | Saturday, Nov. 29 | Hodge Center
Florida International (3-1) opened the season on a three-game winning streak before suffering a 78-72 loss to Georgia Southern on Monday. The Panthers are averaging 65.8 points per game and holding opponents to 55.0 ppg.
Head-To-Head: Cal State Fullerton and the Panthers have met just once, with the Titans recording a 74-57 victory in Miami, Fla., on Dec. 28, 2005.
Last Meeting: Junior guard Bobby Brown scored 24 points and three teammates hit double figures in scoring to lead Cal State Fullerton to a 74-57 victory over host Florida International in the consolation game of the FIU Holiday Classic in Miami, Fla., on Dec. 28, 2005.
BE A FOLLOWER
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A TALE OF TWO HALVES
• In the first half of games this season, Cal State Fullerton is averaging 24.0 points per period, while allowing 30.3 points per half. The Titans have shot just 33.0 percent (34-of-103) from the floor and 22.0 percent (8-of-36) from three-point range, while being outrebounded 83-69.
• In the second half of games this season, the Titans are averaging 38.5 points per game. Fullerton has shot 44.1 percent (52-of-118) from the floor and 50.0 percent (21-of-42) from three-point range.
PUSHING THE PACE
Junior guard Lanerryl Johnson is averaging 14.5 points per game, scoring in double figures for three of Cal State Fullerton's four games. The transfer from Central Arizona Junior College is shooting 43.8 percent from the floor and he has knocked down 10 three-pointers despite playing the role of the team's starting point guard.
MORE OFFENSE
Redshirt senior guard Moses Morgan currently leads the Titans in scoring average (14.8 ppg) and three-pointers made with 12. Morgan is the only Titan to reach double figures in all four games this season.
ON THE GLASS
Sophomore forward Joe Boyd leads the Titans averaging 7.0 rebounds per game. Boyd has led or shared the lead in rebounds for all four Titan games this season.
A NEW LOOK
Second-year head coach Dedrique Taylor has five returning lettermen - including three starters - and three returning redshirts on his roster for 2014-15. In addition, the Titans have eight newcomers. Of the 16 players on Cal State Fullerton's roster, 11 had not played in a game for the Titans prior to this season.
DISCREPANCIES
After its first four games, Cal State Fullerton has made 73 trips to the free-throw line, converting 49 (.671). Titan opponents have made 90 trips to the charity stripe, making 57 (.633).
COUNTING DOWN
Redshirt senior guard Alex Harris has scored 802 career points as he is just 198 of reaching the 1,000-point threshold for his three-year career as a Titan.
ADDING DEPTH
A year ago, Cal State Fullerton had only four student-athletes at 6-foot-7 or taller to play in the post. This season, second-year head coach Dedrique Taylor has six players at 6-foot-7 or taller at his disposable. The Titans were outrebounded 35.0-33.7 rpg last season, but the additions of 6-foot-7 freshman Jamar Akoh, 6-foot-10 junior Kennedy Esume, 6-foot-8 sophomore Malcolm Henderson and 6-foot-7 junior Temjae Singleton should help significantly
.• In addition to his rebounding efforts, Joe Boyd is shooting 47.6 percent from the field - second on the team. Senior Steve McClellan leads the team shooting 50.0 percent (7-of-14) from the floor while pulling down 5.5 rebounds per game.
SCORING ASSISTANCE
The Titan offense averaged 67.5 points per game last season, the lowest average for a Titan team since the 2002-03 season (62.9 ppg).Similar to the post position, the Titans have added depth in the back court to push the tempo in 2014-15.
• In four games, the newcomers have already had an impact in scoring, as senior transfer Moses Morgan leads the Titans averaging 14.8 points per game.
• Lanerryl Johnson, a junior transfer from Central Arizona Junior College, is averaging 14.5 points per game,
AIR TIME
The Cal State Fullerton men's basketball team is scheduled to make a total of 10 television appearances during the 2014-15 season, with the option of three additional "wild card" productions. The breakdown includes five appearances via ESPN3, two on the Pac-12 Network, two on Prime Ticket and one on ROOT Sports.
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
The Cal State Fullerton men's basketball team was selected to finish eighth in the Big West Conference Preseason Media Poll, despite tying for a sixth-place finish a year ago. Defending regular season champion UC Irvine was selected to defend its title successfully, followed by UC Santa Barbara and Long Beach State.
2013-14 RECAP
• Cal State Fullerton's 2013-14 campaign came to a close on March 13, 2014, when the Titans suffered a 66-56 to Long Beach State in the quarterfinals of the Big West Tournament held at Honda Center. Fullerton completed the year with a record of 11-20 overall as well as a 6-10 mark in Big West play, which secured CSF the No. 6 seed at the Tournament.
• The Titans completed the 2014 season with a winning record of 8-6 at Titan Gym, but a struggling mark of 3-12 on the road and a record of 0-2 at neutral site games.
• Cal State Fullerton completed the first half of its Big West Conference schedule with a record of 2-6, although the Titans played UC Riverside twice during the first leg, and played Hawai'i twice during the second leg. Fullerton finished the second half of conference play with a record of 4-4
.• The Titans split season series with UC Davis, UC Riverside, Cal Poly, UC Santa Barbara, CSUN and Long Beach State, but were swept by UC Irvine and Hawai'i .
• Cal State Fullerton used 11 different starting lineups during the season…the Titans were 7-0 when scoring over 74 points and shooting 50 percent or more from the floor.
• Fullerton completed the second half of Big West action with a record of 4-4. During that stretch, the Titans averaged 71.6 points per game and shot 44.7 percent from the floor while knocking 53 three-pointers. Michael Williams led the Titans averaging 20.8 points per game during that stretch followed by Alex Harris (18.0 ppg).
BY THE NUMBERS
Cal State Fullerton totaled 2,092 points last season, an average 67.5 points per game. Fifty percent of the Titans' scoring from a year ago will return led by Alex Harris (420, 15.6 ppg), Josh Gentry (232, 7.5 ppg) and Steve McClellan (190, 6.1 ppg).
SHARP SHOOTER RETURNS
A Big West Conference honorable mention pick, Alex Harris appeared in 27 games making 26 starts as one of Fullerton's main offensive options a year ago. Harris finished second on the team in points per game (15.6), which also ranked ninth in the Big West. His 1.26 steals per game led the Titans while ranking seventh in the league. He recorded 22 double-figure scoring games, including eight 20-point efforts.
2013-14 WIN-LOSS COMPARISONS
In 11 wins, the Titans shot 50.3 percent from the floor while averaging 77.5 points per game. Also, Fullerton held opponents to a shooting percentage of .407 and an average of 68.0 points per game.In 20 losses last season, Fullerton shot a field goal percentage of .384 while averaging just 62.0 points per game. Opponents averaged 73.3 ppg and shot at a clip of .489. In addition, opponents outrebounded CSF 35.8-33.2.
Big West Basketball Tournament All-Session Tickets On Sale
Honda Center and the Big West Conference have announced that all-session tickets for the 2015 Big West Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament are now on sale.
All-session school reserved tickets are available for $69.00. These seats are located within a school's section and can be purchased through each institution's box office.
Premium all-session tickets located in the first four rows of seating are available for $149.00. General admission all-session tickets are also available for $69.00. These seats can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster retail outlets, or by calling 800-745-3000.
The 2015 Big West Tournament will be hosted for the fifth-straight year at Honda Center in Anaheim. The women's tournament first round and quarterfinal games will be played at Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday, March 10 and Wednesday, March 11. The men's tournament begins on Thursday, March 12 at Honda Center with four quarterfinal games. The semifinals and championship games for both the men and women will take place Friday and Saturday at Honda Center.
TITANS IN THE NBA
Former Cal State Fullerton men's basketball player Josh Akognon became the 12th former Titan to appear in the NBA on April 10, 2013 playing four minutes and scoring two points to go with an assist for the Dallas Mavericks in their 102-91 loss to the Phoenix Suns at the American Airlines Center. Akognon, who played two seasons for Fullerton from 2007-09, became the first Titan to appear in an NBA game since Bobby Brown (2003-07) competed for the New Orleans Hornets and Los Angeles Clippers in the 2009-10 season.
NBA DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE DRAFT
Four former members of the Cal State Fullerton men's basketball program were selected in the 2014 NBA Development League Draft on Nov. 1. D.J. Seeley (2012-13) was the first Titan selected as the first pick of the second round by the Delaware 87ers and he has made the final roster.Omondi Amoke (2012) was selected as the fifth pick of the second round by the Grand Rapids Drive. Michael Williams (2014), the 2014 Big West Newcomer of the Year, was selected as the 15th pick of the second round by the Sioux Fall Skyforce and he is listed on the final roster.Sammy Yeager (2013) was chosen as the ninth pick of the seventh round by the Los Angeles D-Fenders.